My long-time readers should know by now that it’s no big deal when I say I’m changing sites. I change URLs more often than I change my underwear.

Waitaminute…

ANYWAY, this time it is a big deal. Ladies and gentlemen, Bow Down To Us.

BDTU is a big deal because it’s everything I’ve been working on for the past almost 2 years taken to the next level. The For the Lore boys and I are teaming up with some other great writers to bring you “The Absolute Authority on Whatever We’re Talking About.”

We have features and reviews on games and comics, with whatever else catches out interest thrown on top. There’s a full message forum and THREE separate podcasts to listen to. For the Lore is no more, but still lives on in BDTU: Lore, hosted by Joe, getting back to the core of what the show was originally about, games and the story behind them. We also have BDTU: Games, hosted by Roger, focusing more on the mechanics and gameplay side of things. Then there’s BDTU: Comics, hosted by yours truly.

Yes, it’s been a ton of work writing and recording everything, but I have to give all the credit in the world to Roger for his amazing design and all the work behind the scenes. It’s a really cool site that hopefully will be a great place to call home for a long time to come.

Now, Massive Nerd isn’t going away, I put too much damn work into this site to just let it go after six months, but I also have no real plans for its future. I STILL have Part 9 of corruption to finish, and I’m trying to figure out what to do with the rest of the fiction I have planned out. Additionally, there may be some things in the future I’ll wish to write about, but not really a fit for the big site. Though, you should still subscribe to my YouTube channel, as I’ll continue to post videos there.

Hey guys, guess what? Sammy’s making YouTube videos.

Here’s my first one, focusing on Starcraft II strategy:

Part 2, as well as any future videos can of course be found on my channel.

And this is but ONE of the “big new things” I’ve been working on lately.

So… um… yeah.

Calling my posting lately “sporadic” would be too much of a compliment.

As any faithful readers I have left know, whenever I start running silent, I’m usually working on bigger and better things, and believe me, I am. Once this new project takes off, the only way I can get much bigger is by getting my own TV show.

In what little free time I have, I’m trying to get some things done here, most notably finally getting the last chapter of “Corruption” posted.

Hang tight, kids. Despite all the work I’m putting in right now, this new project will actually free up some time to flex my creative muscles.

Until then: here’s a funny picture:

The title has a double meaning.

First, the upcoming changes to the official WoW forums are stupid and pointless.

Second, the way the vast majority of people in the community are reacting is equally useless.

So, before I get into some details, where do I stand?

When it comes to the forum change, I couldn’t care less. I don’t post there, so it doesn’t affect me. For RealID in general, I support the idea, but I’m not happy with the execution, personally. If I want to “friend” someone I just give them my email address. No big deal right? I hand out my email address all the time. Problem: The email address associated with my Battle.Net account is the same address I use for other games, banking, online shopping, basically any service online that has sensitive personal information. This address is extremely private. There is only one person in the WORLD that I have given this address to. It’s a personal security decision, and one that I’m sticking to.

Back to my first point. Here’s the problems I see with the forum change:

Many people want their real name kept private for a legitimate reason.
Women in online games are treated differently, and many of them hide behind a male character because of it. It’s an unfortunate truth, and the exact extent of the difference is debatable and likely varies on a situational basis, but it does happen.
Like it or not, our society treats people of various nationalities differently. If you think “Sayid Menijad” is treated the same as “Scott Parker” then I’d like to live in your world. I’m not saying it WILL happen on the forums, but it is a valid concern.
Though not necessarily an issue I feel is common, Gnomer sure has a good reason.

The forum change is supposed to cut down on trolling, especially in this manner, by making people more accountable for their actions. Really? HOW? So, if I know “Johnny Walker” is a complete scumbag, how does this information help me? Am I then supposed to track him down and send him a strongly-worded letter? The trolls won’t stop. Sure, they may be reduced, but they won’t stop. We LIKE to think that people are generally decent, and a small, but vocal, portion ruins the perception. As someone who deals with the general public on a daily basis, I can tell you one thing for sure: In this day and age, the average person is a fucking asshole. Posting under their real name instead of a screen name won’t make a damn bit of difference.

It’s a potential safety and security issue, no doubt. I don’t think I need to go into too much detail on this one. People are messed up.

So, what’s GOOD about the change?

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Yeah, that’s the same point BBB made. In the end, I definitely feel this change will do more harm than good.

Of course, the popular response to all this is “Don’t use the forums.” Honestly, it’s the best solution. There’s far better communities and sources of information out there. One issue I see with that is the vast majority of STUPID people out there. That constant stream of ‘tards you come across in the Dungeon Finder? Do you REALLY think they keep track of WoWHead or MMO Champion? There is a staggering amount of people out there that Just. Don’t. Know. And they’re stuck with the change.

So, what if/when all those unhappy with the change migrate elsewhere? When a large chunk of the community is gone? If nobody’s there to USE the forums, what’s the freaking point?

It’s time for a bit of truth: There is no such thing as privacy on the internet. It just doesn’t exist, sorry. You can try all you want to block your life off from the rest of the world, but some resource somewhere exists. With the increasing popularity of FaceBook and other popular social networking outlets, people’s lives are becoming more and more public. So, yes, some people will LOVE this change.

Honestly, I don’t care if my name is associated with my gaming. I go by “Vince” over on For the Lore without a problem. My last name and quite a bit of other personal information is available if you know where to look. There’s nothing I can do to stop it, but then again, I have chosen to live certain aspects of my life publicly. It’s the same point Lodur makes over at World of Matticus. That said, I choose to separate my public life and my private life through the use of a screen name. Sure “Vince” and “Samodean” are known to be the same person, and it’s a topic I’ve explored previously.

My issue with this is the misperception of it optionality. When RealID was first introduced a few weeks back, it truly was optional. And yes, you can avoid the forums right now if you choose to, but I wouldn’t consider that OPTIONAL. Choosing to exclude a feature is an option. Being forced to use said feature as a REQUIREMENT to participate in a significant portion of WoW‘s community and experience is not what I would consider “optional.”

So, in a few short weeks, RealID has changed from truly optional to “optional only if you want to miss out on features.” How long before it’s not really optional at all? We know about the partnership between Activision Blizzard and Facebook. I truly fear that this is the direction we’re moving in.

So now, to touch on my second point way back at the beginning. To the vast majority of those commenting, criticizing and altogether bitching about this issue: You’re not helping.

First of all, flat-out rage-bitching will be ignored by just about everyone. There have been some frightening statements on the issue, ones that make me embarrassed to be part of the community. PLEASE STOP!
Those that have written very eloquent and well-thought-out articles on their blogs and websites are, unfortunately, preaching to the choir. Anybody reading your arguments are the types that abandoned the official forums long ago. I’m not saying your opinions are invalid, I’ve read plenty of well-written articles on the subject. What I AM saying is you’re reaching the wrong audience. Yes, I realize I fall into this category as well, but sometimes things just gotta be said, even if they have no real impact.
Those that are speaking with their wallets and cancelling their accounts? I salute your conviction, but I have yet to see a boycott of any kind have any lasting effect. I realize many are cancelling because they just DON’T want to be involved with the game any longer, and not out of protest, and I just want to be sure that everyone knows it won’t actually accomplish anything.

In fact, I doubt there’s anything ANYONE can do.

Why not? Bobby Kotick. Sadly, while Blizzard is still TECHNICALLY autonomous, the effects of the merger with Activision are obvious to anyone who’s been paying attention. Activision doesn’t care how YOU want to play your games. Activision will TELL YOU what you want.

If subscriptions drop significantly from this event, here’s what will happen: Kotick will simply FIRE members of Blizzard management and replace them with more of his Activision people. OBVIOUSLY the Blizzard side of the company is doing something wrong, even if they’re just doing what upper management (all Activision people) wants them to do. To be perfectly honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if that was his goal in this whole disaster. Just ask the guys from Infinity Ward how Activision does business.

And THAT’S the reason I think there’s so much anger at this change. Privacy issues aside, fans of World of Warcraft and Blizzard in general have seen one questionable business decision after another in recent years. This may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

There are plenty of perfectly valid arguments people are making over this issue. Seriously, though, all I ask is that they attempt to stay constructive. This has likely gone too far to turn back now, and I doubt that was ever an option to begin with.

The X-Men family of books goes through a cycle. Due to their large cast, the stories grow increasingly complex over the course of several years. When things reach a breaking point, Marvel usually starts a big family-wide event, such as the current “Second Coming” storyline, then relaunches the entire line of books with fresh stories. This month is one of those relaunches.

To briefly summarize:

• The X-Men are a group of mutants, people born differently, often manifesting as astounding powers.
• The purpose of the X-Men is to offer other mutants a place to turn in a society that hates and fears them. They strive to be the best their species can be.
• Several years ago, when one of their own lost control of her reality-altering powers, 99% of Earth’s mutant population was depowered. On-site when it happened, many of the X-Men were protected.
• Seeing this as nature’s way of putting an end to the mutants, many anti-mutant groups try to finish the job. The world is an even more dangerous place for those born different.
• The X-Men take refuge on an island off the coast of San Francisco, creating their own “nation,” and just want to be left alone.
• Hope, the first (and thusfar only) mutant born since “M-Day” returns from the future, where she was sent for protection in her fragile youth.
• At the same time Hope returns, one of the X-Men’s old foes strikes, intending to wipe mutants out once and for all.

And… that’s where “Second Coming” is at currently. Due to some publishing delays, the “relaunch” of the X-Men family of books is actually starting BEFORE the end of the previous era.

Yep, this Thursday, July 8th, marks the launch of a brand-new title, X-Men #1.

The story actually begins in last week’s Death of Dracula single-issue special. The title is about as much description as you need. Dracula, Lord of the Vampires is killed, leaving a power struggle behind.

Wait, wait, WAIT. Dracula? VAMPIRES? Yep, for whatever reason, X-Men‘s first story arc will be the team battling vampires. It’s an interesting concept, as vampires and mutants are both seen as abominations, hated and feared by normal humans. Factions on both sides want to dominate their “lessers” while others just want to fit in. If it’s pulled off well, it could be a fresh idea for a franchise that’s been around for almost fifty years. Additionally, it opens up the X-Men to interactions with characters they’ve never dreamed of meeting before, like Blade.

I’ll warn you now, with their large cast, the X-Books are not Comic Noob friendly. The books do a good job introducing the characters in each issue, so you can at least follow along, but keep Wikipedia handy if things get confusing. Which they likely will, since Nate Grey will be making an appearance. I can’t even begin to explain his story, as he’s an alternate-dimension CLONE of an already complicated character. He’s cool as hell, just don’t try to figure that puzzle out.

But X-Men isn’t the ONLY X-Book hitting the shelves this month. Here’s a look at what else the franchise has to offer.

Uncanny X-Men – The flagship title of the series since the 60s. Uncanny will likely still be the central book in the family, and will be dealing with the events directly following “Second Coming.”

X-Men: Legacy – Originally titled X-Men when it was launched in the 90s, it was retitled to New X-Men for a few years before returning to its original title and later adding the “Legacy” tag. Legacy explores some of the side-stories to what we see in the other books, giving some of the less-visible characters much-needed development. Rogue is currently the main character of this series.

X-Force – The X-Men’s Black Ops team. They take on the tasks that NEED to be done, but nobody necessarily wants to admit to. There are only a small handful of issues left in this run, tying up some plot threads. However, it will receive a full relaunch with a new team in October.

New Mutants – Originally conceived in the 80s as a new team of young mutants, they’re now just the “slightly less old” X-Men. Still, it’s a very fun book featuring some beloved characters. The current crop of “Young X-Men” don’t have their own book at the moment, but get some time in Uncanny and Legacy, as well s a constant stream of miniseries.

X-Factor – The X-book that’s the most detached from the rest of the bunch. X-Factor follows Jamie Madrox, the Multiple Man, and his group of outcasts as they run a detective agency in New York. While the other X-books are largely isolated form the rest of the Marvel Universe, X-Factor is right in the middle of it. Their recent Issue 200 started off with the great line “The Invisible Woman has disappeared!” They work as the Private Investigators for the Marvel U at large, and outside of their “Second Coming” tie-in, has been consistently one of the best books on the shelves.

Astonishing X-Men – When Joss Whedon was writing the book, it was the best of the bunch. The current work isn’t bad, but due to publishing delays, Astonishing is becoming increasingly disjointed from the rest of the X-Books. I’m not entirely sure what direction this title is moving in, as Marvel is trying to launch an entire line of “Astonishing” books, telling side-stories outside the current plotlines.

X-Men Forever – NOT A BOOK FOR COMIC NOOBS. Back in the 90s, Chris Claremont and Jim lee were co-writing the major X-Men titles. Due to disagreements, Claremont left after over a decade running the franchise. Now back in the good graces of Marvel, Forever picks the story up where he left off, telling the tales he wanted. Claremont was always known for his hints and foreshadowing of things to come, so he’s picking up on plot threads long left abandoned. Also, free to write a story outside continuity, Claremont has been unleashing hell on the entire Marvel Universe.

I think I got them all. Did I get them all? The X-Men franchise’s complexity is both its best point and its downfall. The books are literally packed with great characters, but it can be a daunting task for new readers to jump in. I’d recommend starting off with Uncanny X-Men #526 on July 28th for the full X-Men experience. This week’s X-Men #1 would also be a good book to start with, but not as connected to the core X-Men story. (At least I don’t think, judging by the promos I’ve seen) Aside from that, there’s plenty of other great issues out there that are well worth looking into.

If that weren’t enough, Marvel is re-releasing many of the X-Men’s best stories as collected editions this month. From “The Dark Phoenix Saga” to “Mutant Genesis,” they’re a great way for a Comic Noob to learn more about Marvel’s Mighty Mutants!